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#RespectProtectEnjoy #DoItForDevon
We welcome residents and visitors back safely to our attractions, high streets and hospitality businesses this week, but please enjoy Devon safely.
We must continue to respect and protect one another and follow current guidance.
30 April 2021
Public: coronavirus (COVID-19) advice for Devon on our website
Please pass this onto district, borough, parish and town councillors as appropriate. The bulletin can be shared as a link by clicking the 'View it as a Web page' link at the top. Find previous bulletins on our web page.
Do it for Devon
Stick with us and keep following the guidance to keep everyone safe and well.
We need the support of local residents and visitors to keep following the guidelines. Please remember to follow advice and guidance around social distancing, washing hands and sanitising hands regularly, wearing a face covering in enclosed spaces (unless exempt), and avoiding busy places.
Please remember you can only meet up with friends and family you do not live with outdoors for now, either in groups of up to six from any number of households or a group of any size from just two households.
Enjoy Devon safely
With a long bank holiday weekend ahead of us, we are urging everyone to stay safe and continue to follow the COVID-19 restrictions while enjoying more of the freedom we have missed during the recent lockdown.
We have done well to maintain low case numbers here in Devon, despite the gradual easing of restrictions over the past few weeks, and we still have one of the lowest rates in the country.
But we are seeing a small increase in minor outbreaks across a number of settings, including workplaces, schools and care homes, so it's really important we stay cautious, follow the rules and all take part in regular testing to help identify positive cases as soon as possible to stop the virus spreading.
 All Devon adults can get free COVID-19 tests
Everyone in Devon over the age of 16 years old can now get free rapid lateral flow device (LFD) COVID-19 tests, and should be using them twice a week.
These tests are important to do regularly because they detect people who are carrying coronavirus but don't have any symptoms, so could be spreading it unknowingly. They are quick and easy, and the results are usually back within an hour.
Steve Brown, Devon's Director of Public Health, said:
"One in three people with coronavirus show no symptoms. So even if you feel fine, make it a habit to get tested twice a week so you can help prevent the spread of coronavirus in our communities.
"Together with getting vaccinated when invited to, and remembering hands, face, space and fresh air, regular symptom-free testing is a vital part of being able to ease restrictions and life returning to normal as safely as possible."
We are working hard to make sure it is convenient to access symptom-free testing at a range of locations across Devon. You can:
 New stops for mobile testing centres
Two new stops have been added to our mobile community testing programme. A COVID-19 community testing vehicle will now stop at two additional communities, Holsworthy and Moretonhampstead.
The mobile centres stop in communities twice a week on given days, offering rapid lateral flow testing to those without symptoms of coronavirus.
The additional stops mean that the times of the previous scheduled visits at all the other Devon County Council-run mobile testing sites have had to change.
Holsworthy and Moretonhampstead are the latest in a list of mobile rapid testing stops, that now include Ashburton, Axminster, Barnstaple, Bideford, Buckfastleigh, Crediton, Cullompton, Dartmouth, Dawlish, Exeter, Exmouth, Great Torrington, Honiton, Ilfracombe, Ivybridge, Kingsbridge, Lynton-Lynmouth, Newton Abbot, Okehampton, Seaton, South Molton, Tavistock, Teignmouth, Tiverton and Totnes.
The revised schedules include location changes to stops in Exeter, Newton Abbot, Crediton, Ashburton-Buckfastleigh and Honiton.
And the day of at least one of the two stops has also changed in both Ivybridge and Tavistock.
There is also a revised timetable for communities with scheduled visits on Bank Holiday Monday, 3 May. All details are on the website.
The website is regularly updated with any changes to the testing service schedule so please do check before you visit. To find out the days, times and locations of a testing centre near you visit devon.cc/flow
CCG Members' briefing - coronavirus vaccination in Devon
Please see the latest coronavirus vaccination briefing for Members from NHS Devon, Devon’s CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group):
You can view current and previous copies on the Provider Engagement Network (PEN) website
 Increased phishing scams are circulating
In recent weeks, the Data Protection and Cyber Security Team have noted an increasing number of phishing scams circulating, where the senders of these emails are attempting to impersonate Council officials. These emails could appear to have originated from someone you know and trust, and could ask the recipient to carry out a variety of actions including:
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Asking the recipient to forward links to join upcoming meetings – the criminals may then attempt to join the meetings and obtain confidential information, or simply cause disruption.
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Requests to purchase gift cards or vouchers – criminals often favour these as a means to obtain funds by redeeming the vouchers which cannot be traced.
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Ask recipients to use a button or link included in the message to carry out a task – including reviewing quarantined messages, resetting passwords, accessing online files, obtaining additional email storage etc. All these types of messages could be used to lead recipients to a fake login page, where they can harvest the usernames and passwords that are entered.
To help you avoid these types of scams, you may find it helpful to review the following tips, which are provided to help you stay safe when responding to messages:
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Review sender email addresses before responding to any message, to check that the details match the display name and address you would expect to see. If you access email from a phone or tablet device, pressing the display name of the sender will allow you to preview the full email address. If the details don’t match, don’t reply.
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If an email appears to come from an official, but the email address isn’t linked to their organisation, be suspicious. The scammers often use freely available email addresses such as ‘executivecommitte1727@gmail.com’ or ‘council.co.uk@gmail.com’.
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Be aware that criminals may attempt to ‘spoof’ our official email addresses that end in @devon.gov.uk. If a message appears to come from a colleague’s genuine email address but you weren’t expecting it, or it doesn’t match their usual style, you could contact them through another communication channel (such as by phone) to check if they sent it. Alternatively, the ICT Service Desk is available to support with identifying and handling suspicious messages. You can reach the Service Desk by calling 01392 382222.
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Look out for emails which use common or vague subject lines, such as ‘Sorry to bother you’, ‘A Moment’ or ‘Important’. While these may initially seem harmless, please check them especially carefully.
If you receive any request to purchase gift cards or vouchers, do not follow the instructions and cease responding to the sender.
If you are asked for your telephone number, double check that the request has come from a legitimate source before you provide it.
If you receive suspicious text messages on your phone, forward these to 7726. This helps the phone networks to identify and block senders who are sending malicious content.
Where can I find examples of phishing messages?
Regularly review the latest examples of phishing messages that have been added to the Phish Tank. This resource is updated weekly with details of newly observed campaigns that could reach your email inbox.
Report any suspicious emails or messages to the Spam Reporting mailbox (ict.spam-mailbox@devon.gov.uk). This intelligence assists us with identifying trends in campaigns that can help us to adjust our technical security controls with the aim of preventing further unwanted messages reaching DCC mailboxes.
Check the details of any unknown parties who attempt to join private online meetings. If it is not possible to confirm the identity of attendees, they must be removed from the meeting before discussing confidential information.
Finally, If you have any specific queries regarding suspicious messages or other cyber security matters, these can be directed to the Data Protection and Cyber Security team at keepdevonsdatasafe@devon.gov.uk.
COVID-19 vaccination programme in Devon enters next phase with 40-year-olds able to book now
People aged 40 years old and over are now able to book their COVID-19 vaccine. Those who are due to turn 40 years old by Thursday 1 July are also eligible to make an appointment under the latest extension of the vaccine roll out.
As Devon enters phase two of the vaccination programme more age groups are due to be invited to book via the National Booking Service in the coming weeks. Some GP practices will also contact their patients to offer appointments.
Thirteen of the existing 20 GP-led sites across the county will offer vaccinations to people aged 18-49 years old as they become eligible, while all 20 sites will continue to offer second doses to their patients in the top nine vaccination priority groups (people aged 50 and over, and high risk groups).
To ensure there is continued local access to the COVID-19 vaccine for residents aged 18 to 49 years old, more sites in Devon are set to offer appointments via the National Booking Service’s website and 119 phoneline from early May.
More information on the NHS website.
 In September 2019 Devon's Public Health Nursing team started a conversation with the Reaching Communities England lottery funding programme. The project proposal, working within the aims of Devon County Council, was to build our community breastfeeding support by ensuring health, wellbeing and resilience in supporting babies and mothers from within the very community that families live.
Last week we received confirmation that the National Lottery has agreed a grant of £55,283 to fund a two-year post for a peer support coordinator. The peer support coordinator will develop our current system and ensure robust, well trained and supervised peer support from within our communities.
They will also focus on areas of deprivation, developing a system that allows us to work in partnership within our communities. It will also provide a framework that after two years is sustainable and can continue to be supported within our Public Health Nursing Infant Feeding Service prioritising population health for all.
Devon now has designated Integrated Care System status
The Integrated Care System for Devon (ICSD) is a partnership of health and social care organisations working together with local communities across Devon, Plymouth and Torbay to improve people’s health, wellbeing and care.
The launch of the Integrated Care System for Devon on 1 April 2021 means every area of the country is now operating as an integrated care system, achieving a major milestone in the NHS Long Term Plan. Find out more on the ICSD website.
 Proud to Care Devon focus on those who have been made redundant
Proud to Care Devon is currently running a three month recruitment campaign to attract people aged 25-55 to entry-level roles with a focus on care workers in domiciliary care and care homes.
The campaign, running until mid-June, is focusing on people who have been made redundant or at risk of redundancy, and people who want to change career and start working in care and health. You can see our latest films and adverts on Facebook, Instagram, Google, YouTube, Devon Live, Sky AdSmart and ITV Hub. Candidates register their interest through the Proud to Care website and then receive 1:1 support from the team over the phone.
Working in partnership with care providers, we aim to support providers to fill their vacancies by matching candidates to the right role.
Please show your support by liking and sharing social media posts and by supporting us @ProudtoCareDevon on Facebook and LinkedIn and @ProudtoCare on Twitter.
 COVID-19 vaccine animations launched to help tackle disinformation
NHS England and NHS Improvement has launched a series of animations aimed at tackling disinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Aimed specifically at encouraging uptake in ethnic minority groups, the animations are available in 17 different languages and are suitable for use on a wide range of social media platforms. They cover key topics including vaccine safety, how it was tested, how it was developed so quickly, what is in it, and what the side effects are.
You can access all the NHS England videos on YouTube.
Councillor Hub
As part of the Local Government Association (LGA) Leadership offer for newly elected councillors, they have developed an online 'hub' for those who are elected this May. This will replace the current Councillors Guide which was available in the past and will now provide a 'one stop shop' of information for councillors when they are first elected, alongside the LGA's support offers and events available for newly elected councillors at national and regional level. It also features our work on the new model Code of Conduct for councillors.
For more information, please visit the LGA website.
 How to access health services this bank holiday weekend
The long weekend traditionally puts extra pressure on health services when most GP practices are closed and more people are outdoors enjoying everything Devon has to offer.
Most GP practices will be closed over the three day weekend with normal opening hours resuming on Tuesday 4 May.
For urgent advice over the long weekend people are encouraged to ‘Think 111 First’ and contact NHS 111 from anywhere, either by phone or online, any time of day or night.
 Stay updated with G7 news
The best way to stay up-to-date with the very latest G7 news is to sign up to Devon and Cornwall Alert.
The Police has seen hundreds of new registrations since the launch of the G7 Summit; please encourage people to sign up for free real-time updates by email, voicemail or text message. More information about G7 on the Devon & Cornwall Police website.
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 Being in a natural environment and connecting actively with nature is good for us!
Devon’s Naturally Healthy May campaign is all about harnessing the power of nature and physical activity to improve our health and wellbeing.
With all the joys of spring, May is a wonderful month to head outside and enjoy some fresh air, so why not take some time over the next few weeks, even if it’s just ten minutes, to invest in yourself and connect actively with nature.
It’s all part of Devon’s Naturally Healthy initiative, which we lead with Active Devon on behalf of the Devon Local Nature Partnership. It brings together a wide range of partners from health, wellbeing, community and environment sectors to encourage Devonians to be happier and healthier through increased connection to nature.
Throughout May the Devon Local Nature Partnership will be sharing information about being naturally healthy and encouraging people to get outside safely for a walk, a cycle, some gardening, wild swimming, bird watching or other activity.
Keep an eye on social media @activedevon @Devon_LNP, and use the hashtags #NaturallyHealthy #DevonCAN to inspire others to join in. You can also check out the Devon-wide Activity Finder to see what’s happening in your local area, and the Natural Devon website for more naturally healthy information and opportunities.
 Join the World Fairtrade Day coffee morning and Build Back Fairer!
After the pandemic, we want to Build Back Fairer!
During this World Fairtrade Day coffee morning on Saturday 8 May, organised by Fairtrade Devon and hosted by Devon Development Education (DDE), we want you to share your thoughts on what we hope the ‘new’ world will be like.
The coffee morning will take place at 10.30am – 11.45am via Zoom and you can access the meeting via this link (or you can also access it through the DDE website)
Meeting ID: 912 8357 4217
Passcode : 181154
If you have difficulties logging on, please phone 07804 648486 or email: dde@globalcentredevon.org.uk.
Veronica Browne
Along with a quiz, there will also be an update from Veronica Browne, Fairtrade banana farmer from the Caribbean island of St Vincent, which is currently suffering from volcanic eruptions. We welcomed Veronica to Devon in 2019 as she attended many of our Fairtrade Fortnight events. You can read about her visit to County Hall on Inside Devon.
Now her banana plantation and food crops have all been destroyed so an appeal has been launched for her Fairtrade Co-operative.
By pulling together across the Council, with our partners and our communities, we are doing everything we can to help us all through this incredibly difficult time. Thank you to you and your community and stay safe and well.
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